Kimbrel struck out the side on 14 pitches to earn his 15th save in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the White Sox.

EDGE Analysis

Kimbrel hasn't allowed a hit in nine games and the walk he allowed in his previous outing was the first free pass in 65 batters faced. He's been a markedly different pitcher in 2017 than we saw in 2016 when he walked a career high 5.1 batters per nine innings.

Kimbrel walked one and struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings Tuesday to pick up his 14th save of the season in a 13-7 win over the White Sox.

EDGE Analysis

He entered the slugfest with runners on first and third and two outs as Boston clung to a four-run lead, but Kimbrel coolly got Jose Abreu to ground out and then mopped up in the ninth after the Red Sox tacked on a couple of insurance runs. It's been over a month since the right-hander allowed a baserunner to cross the plate, and Kimbrel has regained his spot this season as the game's preeminent closer.

Kimbrel pitched a clean ninth inning on Friday to earn the save in a 3-0 win over Seattle.

EDGE Analysis

His ERA now stands at a microscopic 0.83 on the season, and he continues to mow batters down at a tremendous clip. He remains one of the elite closers in the game and is as reliable as they come when looking for saves in fantasy; he's now 13-for-14 in save chances on the campaign.

Kimbrel worked in a non-save situation Thursday and struck out all four batters faced in Boston's 6-2 win over Texas.

EDGE Analysis

Kimbrel achieved a rarity as all four strikeouts came in one inning. The first batter he faced struck out swinging on a wild pitch but reached first base. He really needed the work as Kimbrel hadn't pitched in six days and hadn't sniffed a save opportunity since May 16. He's now struck out 40 batters and walked two in 20.2 innings.

Kimbrel came on in a tied game and pitched a perfect ninth inning in Boston's 5-4 extra-inning win over St. Louis.

EDGE Analysis

Bucking baseball's convention of only using closers on the road when you have a lead, manager John Farrell brought Kimbrel in to face the top of the Cardinals' order in the bottom of the ninth. Farrell has modified his usage of Kimbrel this season, having him enter games in the eighth inning in addition to Wednesday's deployment in a tie game on the road. He's been the most stable of Boston's relievers so it makes sense to use him in big spots regardless if a save is on the line.

Kimbrel worked a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one to earn his 12th save of the season in Boston's 6-3 win over St. Louis on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

Kimbrel, who had a little bit of "heart-attack" in him during the 2016 season, has been nothing short of dominant as Boston's closer in 2017. Control was his bane last season when he walked 5.1 batters per nine innings, but there's been no such issues with wayward pitches this year. Kimbrel's walked just two batters all season, both in the same game, and hasn't issued a free pass over his last 14.2 innings.

Kimbrel pitched a clean ninth inning Saturday against Tampa Bay, striking out two to earn the save in a 6-3 victory.

EDGE Analysis

Kimbrel is now 11/12 in save tries on the season, and hasn't allowed an earned run in nearly a month. Over his last seven appearances since the blown save, he's tallied 16 strikeouts and not walked a single batter. Kimbrel is dialed in at the moment, and is as valuable as they come when looking for saves.

Kimbrel (2-0) struck out five batters over 1.2 scoreless innings with just a single hit allowed to record his second win of the season Thursday against Milwaukee.

EDGE Analysis

Kimbrel fanned every batter he faced Thursday, and Mookie Betts' three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning put Boston ahead for good and another check mark in Kimbrel's wins column. It was his second victory of the season, and the closer also has 10 saves with a 1.15 ERA, 0.51 WHIP and 17.8 K/9. It's an impressive start, and pitching for a contender will help Kimbrel continue to pile up wins and saves.

Kimbrel was called on to get the final outs of the eighth inning in Boston's 17-6 win over Minnesota on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

What started as a save situation for Kimbrel -- Boston was leading 7-6 with the tying run at third base when he entered the game -- turned into a hold when the Red Sox pushed 10 runs across the plate in the ninth inning. Rather than have Kimbrel come out for the ninth inning, manager John Farrell used Joe Kelly to mop up the game. It was the first time Farrell had called on Kimbrel in the eighth inning which suggests he's not that confident in the group of relievers he's been using during the eighth inning. With Tyler Thornburg, who was acquired to be the setup reliever but is on the 60-day disabled list with a shoulder injury, the eighth inning may be dance for Farrell. He's lately settled on Matt Barnes, but he's allowed three runs, four hits (two home runs) and two walks over his last two innings.

Kimbrel recorded his AL-leading 10th save Wednesday, striking out the side on 12 pitches in a perfect ninth inning against Baltimore.

EDGE Analysis

After last season's career-worst 3.40 ERA, Kimbrel has come back with a vengeance. His K/9 is up to 16.2 (his highest mark since 2012), his WHIP is a ridiculous 0.53, and Colorado's Greg Holland is the only pitcher in the majors with more saves. If you invested in Kimbrel this spring, you've got to be very happy.